1. Field of Art
This disclosure relates generally to the field of electroplating. More particular, this disclosure relates to a carrier for use in electroplating substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electroplating is a deposition technique that may be used to form a metal layer on a substrate. In some electroplating processes, the anode may be made out of the metal to be deposited, and the cathode may be the substrate to be plated. Both the anode and the cathode are immersed in an electrolyte solution, and a voltage is applied across the anode and cathode so that an electrical current flows between them. This causes oxidation of the metal at the anode so that ions of the metal are dissolved in the solution. This also causes reduction of the metal ions at the cathode so that a layer of the metal is deposited onto the substrate. In other electroplating processes, the solution may have ions of the metal to be plated, and the anode may be a non-consumable anode. In this case, the metal ions may be periodically replenished in the bath.
In order to efficiently electroplate a large number of substrates, a carrier may be used to hold multiple substrates and to apply electrical voltages to those substrates during the electroplating process. The carrier may be used to transfer the substrates between different chemical baths and also to safely handle them during rinsing and drying steps.
The present application discloses improved substrate carriers for electroplating.